Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Exterior lighting1
- Electrical system1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 28 2012 C-Class vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 16 people died inside them, and 4 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class failed the safety check 1.29% of the time — 49% less often than the average 2012 passenger car (2.52%). Median odometer at inspection: 97,043 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2012
111,051 new Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2012; the largest markets were the United Kingdom (37,180), Germany (26,753), France (9,846).
- Average mass
- 1,589 kg
- Average power
- 122 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 61% · Petrol 39%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars on Dutch roads are the 1.8 petrol (115 kW, 154 hp), 1.6 petrol (115 kW, 154 hp) and 2.1 diesel (88 kW, 118 hp), out of 12 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8 petrol | 115 kW 154 hp | 1,393 |
| 1.6 petrol | 115 kW 154 hp | 590 |
| 2.1 diesel | 88 kW 118 hp | 277 |
| 2.1 diesel | 125 kW 168 hp | 217 |
| 1.8 petrol | 135 kW 181 hp | 202 |
| 2.1 diesel | 100 kW 134 hp | 196 |
| 1.8 petrol | 150 kW 201 hp | 154 |
| 3.5 petrol | 225 kW 302 hp | 103 |
| 2.1 diesel | 120 kW 161 hp | 82 |
| 2.1 diesel | 150 kW 201 hp | 61 |
| 3.0 diesel | 195 kW 261 hp | 36 |
| 6.2 petrol | 336 kW 451 hp | 36 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
3,387 first registered in 2012 are on Dutch roads; 48% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €45,712.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde1,752
- Band onvoldoende profiel1,132
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm749
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld686
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen629
- Remleiding door corrosie aangetast375
- Band beschadigd361
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage318
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
24,556 cars built in 2012 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 2,766 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In Finland
2,867 of these cars first registered in 2012 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 269,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
694 2012 cars are on the New Zealand register; 95% arrived as used imports, 2% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4 DR AWD | — | 10.5 % |
| 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4 DR RWD | — | 10.5 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Recalls in Canada
6 Transport Canada recalls for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
| 2021514 16 Aug 2021 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, an incorrect passenger-front airbag may have been installed during a previous repair. As a result, the airbag may not inflate prop… |
| 2018741 28 Dec 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propella… |
| 2018724 20 Dec 2018 | Steering On certain vehicles originally sold or currently registered in areas of heavy road salt usage during winter months (Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince E… |
| 2017490 10 Oct 2017 | Airbag On certain vehicles, electrostatic discharge, when combined with a broken clock spring and insufficient grounding of the steering components, could lead to an i… |
| 2017145 15 Mar 2017 | Airbag On certain vehicles, an update provided between de 3rd and 5th of December 2016 to the vehicle control unit may have been incorrectly applied. This could affect… |
| 2012213 13 Jul 2012 | Lights And Instruments Certain C63 AMG coupe vehicles fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 – Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. These vehicles were i… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Mercedes-Benz told its dealers about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10136029 | SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink |
| 10055333 | XENTRY (MERCEDES): THE FUSE AND RELAY BOXES (SRB) IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR REAR COMPARTMENT HAS A MALFUNCTION AND DISRUPTIONS TO COMMUNICATION PATHS CAUSING A NO START IN VEHICLE. MODEL 2012-2013 204, 207, 212, 218, 231, 246, 176, 117, 172. *PE |
| 10054840 | MERCEDES: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. AN INCORRECT SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED, IN SOME VEHICLES, DUE TO A CODING OPTION ERROR AND SPARE TIRE FAILS TO FIT FRONT WHEEL HUBS. MODEL 2013 C CLASS. *PE |
| 10052887 | MERCEDES: THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DO NOT MEET INTERNAL SPECIFICATIONS, IN SOME VEHICLES, THAT CAUSES, IN SOME CASES, THE TRANSMISSION TO MAKE NOISES AND NEED TO HAVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MODELS 2011 204 (C SERIES), X204(C SERIES), 212(E SERIES). *PE |
| 10051975 | XENTRY (MERCEDES): WITH STEERING AT FULL LOCK, NOISE CAN BE HEARD, LIKE KNOCKING AND/OR CREAKING, COMING FROM AREA OF FRONT AXLE WHEN MANEUVERING. MODELS 203 (C240, 320, 32, 230), 171 (SLK350, 55, 280), 209 (CLK 320, 500, 55, 63), 204 (C300, 350, 250, 63), 207 (E350, 550). NO YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATED 12/30/13. *PE UPDATED 5/9/14. *PE |
| 10046379 | XENTRY (MERCEDES): AFTER TAKING VEHICLE OUT TRANSPORT MODE, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAYS MESSAGE SOS MBRACE SERVICE NOT ACTIVATED. MODELS 2013 166, 172, 204, 207, 212, 218, 231, 463. *PE |
| 10044601 | XENTRY (MERCEDES): CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) IS ACTIVATED; STORED IN ENGINE CONTROL UNIT IS VERY FINE LEAK. AUTOMATIC FUEL TANK LEAK TEST SOFTWARE IS SENSITIVE AND CAN PRODUCES AN ERRONEOUS DIAGNOSIS. MODELS 204, 212, 218, 221, 216,AND 166 WITH NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATE 11/22/13. *PE |
| 10044220 | MERCEDES BENZ: RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT OR LEFT FRONT SEAT BELT DOES NOT ROLL UP COMPLETELY. CAUSED BY BELT STRAP SCRAPING ON THE RETRACTOR HOUSING. ALSO INCLUDED MODEL CLS550 MODEL YEAR 2012. *JS |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)